"GL3" - читать интересную книгу автора (vol08)

marched by. Sleepily he tried to reckon the time, but he could
not be sure of his memory. This was the beginning of the second
night of riding since he had seen the pale gleam of gold in the
chill dawn and had come to the great empty house upon the hill
in Edoras. There he had slept only dimly aware of much coming
and going and of the great outcry when the winged flier had
passed over. And since then riding, riding in the night.
A pale light came in the sky, a blaze of yellow fire was lit
behind dark barriers. For a moment he was afraid, wondering
what dreadful thing lay ahead; he rubbed his eyes, and then he
saw it was the moon rising full out of the eastern shadows. So
they had ... for four hours since dusk!(1)
'Where are we, Gandalf?' he asked.
'Anorien the realm of Gondor is still fleeting by,' said
Gandalf.
'What is that?' said Pippin, suddenly clutching at Gandalf's
cloak. 'Fire! I thought for a moment it might be a dragon. I feel
that anything might happen in this land. Look there is another!'
'On, Shadowfax!' cried Gandalf. 'We must not rest this night.
Those are the beacons of Gondor calling for aid. War is kindled.
See, there is the light on Amon Thorn, and a flame on Elenach;

and look there they go speeding west, Nardol, Penannon,
Orodras, and Mindor Uilas on the borders of Rohan. Haste!'
And Shadowfax leaped forward, and as he sprang forward he
neighed pricking his ears. Neighing of horses answered and like
shadows flying on a wild wind riders went by them thundering
west in the gloom.
'Those are post riders,' said Gandalf, 'riding from message
post to message post - bearing tidings and summons. The
message will reach Edoras by nightfall tonight.'(2)

This text was followed by another single page ('C'). This was typed
by my father in the 'midget type' which he used in his letters to
me from 7 July 1944 (see the beginning of no. 75 in Letters) and
frequently until October of that year; and thus this one sheet carries
the story as far as the point where Shadowfax passes through the
narrow gate in the Pelennor wall (RK p. 21) - the text stopping just
before the name Pelennor would appear (see p. 277). The final text
was now very closely approached. The names of all the beacons (now
seven, not six) are here in the final form: Amon Din, Eilenach, Nardol,
Erelas, Minrimmon, Calenhad, and Halifirien on the borders of
Rohan. There are however a few differences. Gandalf here tells Pippin
that the message-posts were at distances of 'every fifty miles or so,
where errand-riders were always in readiness to carry messages to
Rohan or elsewhere' (in RK, p. 20, no distance is mentioned, and
Belfalas is named as another destination of such errands). The passage
in which Pippin, falling asleep, thinks of Frodo runs thus:

He wondered where Frodo was and if he was already in Mordor,